


Play On

by Katraa



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Angst, M/M, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-13
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-11-21 01:04:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katraa/pseuds/Katraa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a particularly nippy winter morning, a cup of coffee is had and one Producer gets another grey hair from the stress of it all.  That isn’t to say it's the last one he’ll get with the Ace Joshua proposes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Don’t like the brew, boss?”

There was something absolutely unnerving about the way Joshua Kiryu chose to continuously twirl his coffee mug around the table without laying a single finger on it that fine winter morning. Perhaps what was even more unnerving was the glimmer in the Composer’s gaze when he entered Wildkat a few hours prior, bundled up in a heavy scarf despite the common misconception that the dead were cold and unfeeling. It was quite the opposite, really, and his fingers suffered from bothersome frostbite due to his aversion of wearing anything confining on his hands - especially gloves. 

“There are grinds in it.”

Sanae Hanekoma quirks a brow, not because of the absolutely bored tone of the remark, but rather the absurdity of the statement. There are, in fact, no grinds in the coffee.

“That so?”

Joshua answers with a hum as he finally pries his eyes off the cup and over to the Producer. “Do you have a mirror, Sanae?”

That causes the already lifted brow to fly up to the heavens. “….A mirror, J? You need to check your hair or somethin’?”

Instead of smirking - which Sanae finds odd that he doesn’t - Joshua opts to shrug indifferently. “So that’s a yes?” he wonders, voice treading on scathing for no particular reason whatsoever. At least, not one that Sanae can readily discern.

“Yeah. Gimme a sec.”

The Producer disappears into the depths of Wildkat, and really, that’s saying a lot considering how small the coffeeshop is. While he’s away, Joshua continues sipping the unsatisfactory coffee, his free hand tracing a treble clef on the counter. His phone is buzzing in his pocket and he’s pointedly ignoring it. It’s not a Game-week, and it hasn’t been for a month now. Or was it two months? It’s likely not a Reaper calling him, which meant it was someone of more prickly nature. Angels, likely.

When Sanae returns with a hand-mirror, he’s sporting a frown. Before offering it up, he walks over to the counter and holds it just out of reach of his shorter friend. “Joshua,” he says in all seriousness, even though it barely causes a look up from the Composer, “they said if you don’t start a Game by next week, they’re gonna have to step in.”

“Step in?” Joshua snorts and he reaches for the mirror, mildly annoyed when Sanae holds it up even higher. He retracts his hand and folds his arms. “However will they do that? Send an attack dog down to play Conductor and force my hand?”

“They’re talkin’ about revamping Shibuya’s Game entirely, Joshua.”

Joshua looks unimpressed. “Hm? Please. Shibuya has the highest turnover of ascended Souls. It’s a surprise they don’t force other districts to abide by our policies.”

“Puffery aside,” Sanae continues, the mirror still annoyingly above Joshua’s head, “the point is, J, that you need to stop moping about your punishment and just get the Game goin’.”

“I’m not moping,” Joshua says flatly. “Any sane Composer would refuse to host a Game with his powers tapped into by apathetic archangels.”

Sanae doesn’t seem impressed by Joshua’s attitude but finally sets the mirror down on the bar. “Don’t come cryin’ to me when it all blows up in your face.”

“Heehee… like I’d really let this face be ruined,” Joshua says and takes the mirror. He holds it up, just enough so he can see the rest of Wildkat behind him. There’s a long pause before Joshua says, “Did you know, Sanae, that every good magician needs at least one Ace?”

“Come again, boss…? I didn’t know you pulled rabbits out of your hat for fun.”

Joshua rolls his eyes. “Thank you for your time - and coffee - as always.” He tosses him a quick look that speaks volumes and is more than any yen could ever provide. “I’ll be in touch sometime soon about orchestrating the Game for Monday.”

“Finally…” Sanae heaves a loud sigh of relief. “Why the sudden change of heart? That Ace really that good?”

Joshua smirks as he rises from the stool. “Mmm, I’d say so.”

Joshua wiggles his wrist in a tiny wave before he leaves Wildkat, hands nestling back into his pockets. Sanae watches him go with a fond chuckle. He’s glad that his only friend has come around and has enough sense not to let Shibuya be wrecked by power-thirsty Angels. He’s glad that he’s agreed to finally have a Game after so long, even with his Powers still capped. But he wonders. He has to wonder why the change of heart so suddenly? 

Sanae regards the mirror he had lent Joshua with a frown. As he picks it up, an epiphany strikes him and he drops it at once, muttering a slew of curses under his breath that would make any prudent religious man or woman blush at the outrageousness of it all.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” are Sanae Hanekoma’s last words.

Somewhere in Shibuya, a young boy screams and drops his toothbrush into the sink, nearly losing it to the drain forever as a giggle transcends the planes, eyes meeting in a plate of glass.


	2. Prologue (2/2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half of the introduction! Things are going to start making a bit more sense next chapter, but I just wanted to get everything down on paper and out in the open first!....Yeah, I promise the next chapter to be longer.

There was a saying that went something like, “watch your back”, but Neku has never really paid it much heed. Now, it seemed truer than ever and he did exactly what it advised him to do--he turned around. Unexpectedly, or perhaps expectedly, given who he was dealing with, there was nothing but an empty bathroom staring back at him. If he wanted to be particular, he could have made note that the draft in the bathroom blew in such a way that it caused the shower curtain to rustle. Perhaps then what he had seen moments before in the mirror would make sense. He tried to make sense of it but found himself coming up empty. No, he’d simply label it as a trick of his mind and finish brushing his teeth; he had somewhere to be today, after all. Neku’s Mother was very interested in having him meet with a few recruiters at a nearby art school in Shinjuku. Granted he was still a ways off from University, but she thought it couldn’t hurt to make valuable connections now. She called it networking. Or something.  
  
As Neku resumes brushing his teeth, he can’t help but examine himself. Not just how tired he looks from staying up all night drawing spiraling landscapes, but really look at himself. Dyed hair, sharp blue eyes, and a lost expression. That’s what every art school was searching for, right? Neku doesn’t have quite as high of confidence as his Mother did, apparently.  
  
“Why the long face? It looks as if you’ve seen a ghost.”  
  
He was wondering if labeling himself “crazy” would be a pro or a con for this art school application.  
  
“…You’re hiding in mirrors now? Really?” Somehow, Neku isn’t all too surprised by it and he merely rests his hands down on the edges of the sink, leaning forward to stare scrutinizingly at the glassy surface.  
  
“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing, partner.”  
  
Har har. Neku exhales loudly and shoots a glance back over his shoulder. Nope, nada, still nothing. “So, where are you?”  
  
“The UG, of course. It’s a Game Week and I can’t quite afford to leave it.”   
  
Neku almost laughs but he refrains from it in favor of scoffing. That seems like a better approach to all of this. “So why can I see you?”  
  
“The UG and RG are connected, obviously.” Joshua flips his hair in the mirror and Neku isn’t sure, but he could have sworn he saw the stirrings of a pout over his inquiry. “Mirrors simply allow the two planes to merge. It’s very scientific and complicated. Are you sure your head can wrap around all the details?”  
  
“Try me. I have above average in Chemistry right now.”  
  
“Oh, if you insist…” Joshua trails off rather deliberately.

“You were saying?”  
  
“Growing sarcastic in your old age, Neku?”  
  
“One of us have to keep up the age old tradition of driving the other one absolutely nuts.” Neku shrugs and he worries his bottom lip, hesitating before going on to add, “…how are things? In the UG, I mean.”  
  
“Oh, picture perfect.” In the UG, he means.  
  
“Right. So what do I owe this borderline stalker honor to?”  
  
“Can’t I stop in every so often to see my favorite proxy?”  
  
“Only proxy,” Neku says as he puts away his toothbrush, momentarily opening the cabinet that Joshua is using as a means of communication. He closes it shortly after and tosses his once partner a haughty look. “Listen, Josh… I’m glad you finally decided to show up, but can it be, y’know, at Hachiko next time?”  
  
“How boring…” Joshua shakes his head and he’s fiddling with that bright, annoyingly orange phone again. “I actually came here for a favor.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“But you haven’t even heard what it is yet. That’s rather tasteless.”  
  
“I know you well enough to know it’s not something I’d wanna help with.”  
  
“But Neku, you only knew me for a week.”  
  
The reality and heaviness of that statement weighs on his shoulders and he nearly walks out of the bathroom. Actually, his right leg flirts with the idea. “Joshua. Cut to the chase.”  
  
“Your Vibe is extraordinarily high.”  
  
“Ok?”   
  
“I take it you’ve already pieced things together, considering you haven’t asked as to why others can’t normally see the UG.”  
  
Neku stops. That’s a good point. “I just figured…”  
  
“The UG has left its mark on you. Whether that’s fortunate or not, I’ll leave those details up to you.”  
  
“Joshua, straight answers…”  
  
There’s an emptiness to Joshua’s eyes as blue meets violet briefly. “Because your Soul was refined so highly during the Game, you have retained the ability to peer into the UG. Granted it’s only on reflective surfaces, but…”  
  
“Like toasters?”  
  
“Only name-brand ones.”  
  
“Cool.” Neku cocks a brow. “So what? You want me to go find a mega-toaster and keep watch on your UG while you take a vacation?”  
  
“If I played hooky, it wouldn’t be you who I left in charge.” A giggle.  
  
Neku shakes his head. “Josh, I have to be somewhere in fifteen minutes. Hurry it up or I’m leaving you in my bathroom. I know where Mom keeps the key to the lock.”   
  
“How rude…” Joshua pouts before he finally seems to take on an air of seriousness. Maybe Neku’s just getting better at reading people, or maybe it’s rather obvious. “As I was saying, you have some… unique gifts now, Neku. I’d like to attribute that to the fact that you spent an entire week so close to my High Vibe, but you yourself as an anomaly.”  
  
“Fourteen minutes…”  
  
“Mm, you haven’t changed.”  
  
Neku reaches for a towel to continue drying his hair. The hair gel is nearby and he’s going to reach for that, too, as Joshua rambles on. He can almost feel Joshua’s tangible irritation that Neku is fixing his hair in the middle of what seems to be a rather important conversation. Some things never change.  
  
“I need you to keep an eye on things. Tell me if you notice anything strange.”  
  
“Strange as in Godzilla strange or strange as in You kind of strange?”  
  
“Your friends are unable to see the UG anymore.”  
  
“…Yeah, I know.” They haven’t mentioned seeing dead people in mirrors. At least, as far as Neku knows. “What’s the point?”  
  
“As much as it pains me to say, I may have accidentally given you part of my power when we formed a Pact.”  
  
“…The Player Pact? That was actually legit?”  
   
“Neku, why would I handicap you when you were my star player?” Joshua looks almost offended at Neku’s accusation. Neku merely cheekily grins but nods, as if urging Joshua to continue. Though, if they’re going to keep talking in circles, it’s hard to see a point.  
  
“So I’m mini-jesus now?”  
  
“Cheeky,” Joshua notes, sticking his tongue out, clearly not impressed and damn, the little idiot isn’t making this hard. “Normal people sometimes can momentary glimpses into the UG when they see a mirror. It’s a common horror movie motif. You, on the other hand, are able to see it constantly. Your Vibe flickers just between the fields--enough to be present in both at any time, but not heavily enough for the Noise to be attracted to you.” Wow, that sounded heavy. “What I’m saying, Neku, is that you’re in danger.”  
  
“And that’s new?” Neku grits his teeth. “So, danger. What do I do?”  
  
Assuming Joshua was telling the truth. “Nothing. It’s merely as dangerous as aging for human beings.”  
   
“Ok, so it’s just a disease.” Chronic and annoying, like Joshua.  
  
Joshua paces in the reflection of the mirror, taking a seat across the bathroom on the edge of the tub, just enough to remain in the reflection. “There’s been issues since the Game.”  
  
“Uh-huh… like me seeing dead people issues?”  
  
“Have I ever told you about Alternate Universes…?”

 

\------------------

  
The first thing of note about Shinjuku is that he doesn’t see any creepy dead people when he looks into the shop-windows. His Mom is close by his side and she seems very enthused to be taking a day off her busy cubicle job to drag her son to the next district for academia. Neku, on the other hand, isn’t as impressed, but at least the bubble tea in his hand is pretty good.   
  
The second thing of note about this place, apart from the tea and the lack of a visible UG, is how different it feels. It’s as if he has a constant headache. There’s a pressure at the corner of his mind, nudging, stinging, and he feels sick from the get go. There’s something off in his core and he can feel it down to his toes. It’s not just that he forgot to gel his hair in the back because stupid Joshua wasted all his time this morning talking about how their alternate selves in alternate Shibuyas are going to be coming into contact with Neku and how it’s very bad news. No, not that kind of off. This kind is the type that you get when you leave your wallet somewhere and come to the shocking revelation two hours later that it’s gone. It’s nerve-wracking and it makes him sweat.  
  
He spends the day in a bit of a daze as his Mom drags him around the campus. She knows a few people and he blindly introduces himself- it’s not like he has to do much talking since his Mom is a chatterbox and that’s one thing he didn’t get from her. Instead, Neku opts to space out and try to piece together why he feels like his world has been tipped upside down.  
  
He knew Joshua would eventually show back up, and yeah, he knew his life wouldn’t be textbook normal after he fought in a Game of the Dead for three weeks, but hey, he had dreams and for over a month they were very real dreams. But now that he was waking up… Now, it sucked.  
  
When Neku returns to Shibuya that night, it’s gone. The feeling of despair and anxiety, that is. Shibuya’s still standing and nothing has happened. The moment they cross the border Neku catches sight of a familiar Kariya in the reflection of the back of a bus stop. He’s sucking that bean paste, or whatever, leaning against the stop, likely waiting for his power-hungry partner. Neku checks the urge to go and say hi because no, he’s alive and Kariya is dead and in the UG. There’s a Game going on and it’s a bad idea. That, and his Mom would start questioning his waning sanity if he went over and started having diligent conversation with thin air. So he resist and lets his Mom take him home.

 

\--------------

  
  
Later that night, he can’t sleep. He’s sitting up on his laptop, drinking some soda, trying to get tired but he can’t. All the usual methods aren’t working and he feels a dull ache in his head.   
  
He can’t help but think about what Joshua mentioned earlier that day. Alternative Universes. That they’d be coming into contact with him. Did that mean he’d be the only one that could see them? And if so, how would he know if they were truly ‘alternate’? What if one Joshua posed as another. And did Joshua mean contact as in Reflections or actual face-to-face RG shenanigans?  
  
God, this sucked.  
  
“You always were stupidly vague,” Neku murmurs as he tosses a look out his window.  
  
Something’s changing. He can feel it. Maybe it’s in him or maybe it’s in Shibuya, or maybe it’s just Joshua being Joshua.  
  
But he feels it deep down in his Soul and he knows that lazy days are gone again and he’ll have to buck up and take the full front of whatever it is coming barreling down the way.  
  
At least he has friends this time, right?


End file.
